


Under wraps

by Beleriandings



Category: Akatsuki no Yona | Yona of the Dawn
Genre: Gen, based on the canon fact that jae-ha bandages his dragon leg
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-25
Updated: 2017-05-25
Packaged: 2018-11-04 23:12:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,634
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11000997
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Beleriandings/pseuds/Beleriandings
Summary: After leaving Awa, Kija and Jae-ha come to understand each other a little better every day; it goes both ways. [Prompt: Kija and Jae-ha, “It sounds like you’re trying to convince yourself”]





	Under wraps

The sound of the pouring rain and wailing storm winds outside was distorted in strange ways as it found its way into the cave where they had set up camp. Inside was ordered chaos, as their little group dried their clothes around the merrily crackling fire that Yoon had managed to light with the last of the dry kindling, over which he had set water to boil to begin to cook dinner. Zeno was chopping vegetables, and everyone else huddled close for warmth as their shoes and sodden outer clothes hung on the rocky outcrops around them.

Or, almost everyone.

“Where’s Jae-ha?” asked Yona, frowning. “He didn’t go back out in the storm, is he?”

“Back….. there” said Shin-ah, pointing towards the far wall, where there was a narrow opening in the rock.

“Oh…. further into the caves, you mean?”

Shin-ah nodded, but he was frowning. “He’s….. got…..bandages?”

Yoon raised an eyebrow. “If he wanted me to look at his arrow wound he should have just asked! But it’s nearly healed…”

“It’s…. not the wound” said Shin-ah, still staring intently through the wall, apparently into some further chamber of the caves. His fingers flickered over Ao’s soft fur in a nervous motion that was apparently unconscious; it made Kija wonder if there was cause to worry.  

Yona tilted her head. “What do you mean, Shin-ah? Is Jae-ha alright?”

“I’m sure he’s fine” said Hak, who was sitting in the corner of the cave, with blade and whetstone. “He’ll be back….”

“Still” said Yona. “Maybe someone should go and find him….. who knows where these tunnels go? there could be falls….”

“Ryokuryuu knows not to fall off any rocks” said Zeno, setting down his paring knife. “But Zeno can go look for him, if the Miss is worried!”

“No” said Kija, deciding all at once; he could sense the presence of Jae-ha even in the dark, and something about that green light in his mind seemed a little…. well, _off_. He could sense what the other dragons were feeling, to an extent, and this felt different to Jae-ha’s usual clear green brightness, made him want to go after him. “I’ll go.”

They all turned to him, and Yona nodded. “Alright. Be careful, Kija. Hurry back.”

He bowed. “I will, Princess.”

The caves were very dark, behind the chamber near the opening to the cliff face, in which they had taken shelter and made their rudimentary camp. After a little while, he began to wish he had brought Shin-ah with him after all; at least until he saw the glow of orange-golden light, casting a shadow on the wall that was distorted but nevertheless familiar.  

“Jae-ha?”

Kija’s voice echoed strangely in the enclosed chamber, and he saw Jae-ha sitting there in the sputtering light of a rush taper held in a clay lamp, turning hastily away from him. Kija frowned; that was odd. “Are…. are you not feeling well?” he asked, hesitantly.

“I’m fine, Kija” said Jae-ha’s, a rather uncharacteristic stiffness in his voice. His back was to Kija still. Damp hair hid his face, spilling out of the ribbon that held it. “Go back to the others. I’ll be there in a moment.”

Kija ignored him, laying a hand on Jae-ha’s shoulder; he was wearing only the thin black shirt and trousers he wore under his clothes. Kija wondered if he was cold. But Jae-ha did not shiver, only twitched a little under the touch, almost imperceptibly.

“Ah! Sorry!” Kija belatedly remembered the arrow wound Jae-ha had suffered in Awa. “Is your wound hurting? Yoon has some senjuso left, and some herbs that will ease the pain… if you ask I’m sure he would - ”

“It doesn’t hurt” said Jae-ha, shortly. “Really, Kija, it’s fine…”

Kija frowned, kneeling down beside Jae-ha. “Then why are you… oh.”

His eyes widened at the sight of iridescent green scales glimmering in the light of the taper. Jae-ha’s boots were laid to one side, as was a pile of sodden cloth, and his hands were full of a tangle of clean, dry bandages, which he was midway through wrapping around his scaled right foot.

“Well, now you’ve seen it” said Jae-ha, rather testily, bringing Kija back into the present, “Are you happy now? I wouldn’t have though you of all people would be one to stare, but I’ve been mistaken before….”

“No, I….” began Kija, shaking his head and looking away from Jae-ha’s dragon’s foot and back up to his face. “It’s just I’d never seen your foot before!” as he said it he realised it was true; the closest he had seen was the painted illustration in the book he had had as a child, the finely bound _Tales of King Hiryuu and the Four Dragon Warriors_ that he had inherited from his father, one of his most treasured possessions. He frowned, tilting his head.

Jae-ha’s eyes were still hidden in shadow, mere glints in the dim, flickering light. “Well, now you have. Let’s move on.”

“Why do you still hide it?” asked Kija, curiously. “I mean, ah…. you’re always…” he gestured awkwardly, waving his hands in the air between them, scales catching the light as Jae-ha watched with a raised eyebrow. Kija took a breath, tried again. “I’ve seen you…. ah…. take your clothes off at any given opportunity, but you’re this sensitive about your foot, of all things?” He smiled, gently. “You know you don’t have to hide, with us. It’s something to be proud of! You shouldn’t _ever_ have to hide! So…. why do you?”

Jae-ha did turn his head at this; there was something behind his eyes as he met Kija’s gaze, something that Kija had never seen before; beneath his insouciant smiles and teasing words, apparently, there was something else, something more guarded and harder to interpret. But only a flash of it; after a moment, Jae-ha’s eyes were slipping away from his, leaning forward once more to carry on with his task.

“Why? Habit, perhaps” Jae-ha said, as he wrapped the bandage, covering his scales with dry cloth. “For a long time, I would have been in danger if anyone had seen…. not to mention the trouble it would have caused for Captain Gigan. Unwanted questions, and such.” He smiled a little. “I always owed her far too much to bring something like that down upon her and the crew.”

“I see” said Kija, though he didn’t, really. He was silent for a moment. “But now, though, you’re with your brothers, and our Princess! You know, you still really don’t need to - ”

“It’s not beautiful” interrupted Jae-ha, his voice abrupt, too sharp. “It’s ugly. That’s why.” He finished binding up his foot in bandages, looking up to meet Kija’s eye once again, a slight, wry smile playing across his face. “it’s quite a simple reason, really.”

“Is that really it?” Kija narrowed his eyes. “It’s not true, though.”

Jae-ha gave a ghost of his usual mischievous grin. “Oh…. are you calling me beautiful, Kija? I’m flattered - ”

Kija glared back at him. “Be serious! I’m saying that what you said before…… it only sounds like you’re trying to convince yourself… there’s no need to hide now, if there ever was!”

The sharpness was back in Jae-ha’s voice. “Oh, and you think you’re going to be the one to rid me of my delusion? Well, don’t bother” interrupted Jae-ha. Kija felt himself flush; he had, in fact, been about to say something along those lines. Jae-ha tilted his head, folding his arms over his chest. “Why do _you_ bind your arm up in bandages, anyway?”

Kija blinked. “It’s a tradition in my village!” he said. “Such a sacred power should not be…. shown to the world, every day and to just anyone. But you and the others…” he faltered. “….What…?”

“…..Nothing” said Jae-ha, his lip curling. “Just….” he passed his hand in front of his face, affecting a deep sigh. “Of _course_ you would have a reason like that.”

Kija pouted. “What does _that_ mean?”

Jae-ha looked at him a long while, seemed about to speak; Kija waited in silence. But after some time, Jae-ha simply sighed. “Nothing” he said. “Forget I said anything.” He smiled, a little ruefully, getting to his feet. “In fact, it would be nice if you could forget this little encounter all together, but ah…. I suppose that’s too much to hope for.” A little of his customary ironic smile returned as he pulled down his trouser leg again around his bandaged foot. “How does it feel to be the one who has seen the most of me…? Are you satisfied, Kija?”

“No” said Kija, getting up and staring back at Jae-ha in defiance. “I would rather see you happy about your power! You should be proud!” He clenched his fists. “My ancestors…. every one of them would have given anything to be the one who was chosen, to be where we are now. Yours too, I’m sure! So…” he stared up into Jae-ha’s face imploringly. “You shouldn’t be so afraid!”

Jae-ha’s eyes widened a little, before he dropped his gaze, staring down at the cave floor. “I’m not afraid” he said, softly. “Not of that.”

He looked right into Jae-ha’s eyes. “Then… what?”

There was a long pause, in which Jae-ha gave him a calculating look, mouth open as though deciding what to say. Finally, though, he dropped his head, as there came a shout from back the way Kija had come, where the others were.

“Hakuryuu! Ryokuryuu!” It was Zeno’s voice. “Come back to the fire, it must be cold back there in the dark!”

And just like that, the moment was gone. Kija sighed, picking up the rush light, laying his other hand on Jae-ha’s arm. “Come on” he said. “Let’s go back to the others.”


End file.
